North Carolina Gets a New Interstate, with the I-495 Designation near Raleigh

Thursday, December 12, 2013

RALEIGH — Governor Pat McCrory and Transportation Secretary Tony Tata announced Thursday that U.S. 64 between I-440 and I-95 near Rocky Mount has been added to the interstate highway system. The section between I-440 and I-540 on the east side of Raleigh will have the I-495 designation, while the stretch of U.S. 64 between I-540 and I-95 will be designated Future I-495.

“This designation is critical to further economic development in the region,” Governor McCrory told Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) members. “We can now tell businesses who want to locate to the area that they will have a future interstate connection to the vital I-95 corridor.”

Governor McCrory and Secretary Tata made the announcement at the RTA’s 12th Annual Meeting in Cary. The RTA presented an award to Governor McCrory, Secretary Tata, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger and Speaker of the House Thom Tillis for their bipartisan work on transportation, particularly the passage of the Strategic Transportation Investments Act into law. Representative William Brawley of Mecklenburg accepted the award on behalf of Speaker Tillis.

The I-495 designation has received support from the RTA and has been endorsed by several municipalities along the route.

“This designation is an important part of our future vision for transportation in North Carolina and is key to promoting job creation and aligning our infrastructure with commerce activity,” Secretary Tata said.

The section of U.S. 64 between I-440 and I-540 currently meets interstate standards and will be signed as I-495. The remaining stretch between I-540 and I-95 will be signed as Future I-495 until NCDOT widens the inside and outside shoulders to meet interstate standards. This work will be done as part of future reconstruction activities along the route. This is the normal process when an existing highway is upgraded to interstate status.